Would a special 'access all areas' pass, granting privileged access to the colleges and other historic city buildings, encourage tourists to spend longer in Cambridge?

The idea of introducing a Cambridge pass for visitors to the city was floated at a Cambridge West Central Area committee meeting. Visitors could enjoy privileged access to historic buildings in the city centre, including the university colleges, and could also take advantage of free transport after buying the pass.

It could be given to hotels in the city to pass on to guests in the hope it will act as an incentive to encourage tourists to spend more time - and money - in Cambridge, rather than simply visiting for the day or just a few hours to see the sights.

Cambridge City councillor John Hipkin doesn't understand why we aren't doing this already

The idea was put forward by Cllr John Hipkin, who said a city pass would cut down on unsustainable short-term tourism and encourage people to enjoy a longer, 'less frantic' stay in the city.

“I think what is most important is to encourage long-term visitors,” he said. “I don’t understand why we don’t have a Cambridge pass in operation with the university that allows privileged access to cultural places in Cambridge.

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“It would let them use public transport for free and hotels might be able to give guests a discounted use of the pass to encourage them to stay longer.”

Emma Thornton, head of Visit Cambridge, said it was not the intention to simply increase tourism in Cambridge, but noted the importance of encouraging people to change their 'visiting patterns' and stay longer, rather than just a fleeting visit.

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